The NeverEnding Story (1984): 15 Weird Facts You Didn’t Know!
The NeverEnding Story (1984) — 15 Weird Facts You Didn’t Know!
#rememberwhen The NeverEnding Story convinced an entire generation that reading a book could save a magical world? Released in 1984, Wolfgang Petersen’s fantasy classic starred Barret Oliver, Noah Hathaway, Tammy Stronach, Gerald McRaney, and featured Alan Oppenheimer as the voices of Falkor, Gmork, and the Rock Biter. With unforgettable creatures, emotional moments, and groundbreaking practical effects, The NeverEnding Story remains one of the most beloved fantasy films ever made.
These are 15 weird facts about The NeverEnding Story, from behind-the-scenes production secrets and incredible practical effects to hidden filming locations, cast stories, and the surprising truth behind one of the greatest fantasy movies of the 1980s.
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
01:09 – #15: The Swamp of Sadness Filming Disaster — Noah Hathaway
02:32 – #14: The Real Filming Locations for Bastion’s Hometown — Barret Oliver
03:42 – #13: How Falkor Was Built — Wolfgang Petersen
05:04 – #12: The Childlike Empress’ Missing Teeth — Tammy Stronach
06:16 – #11: How “The Nothing” Was Created — Brian Johnson
07:33 – #10: The Deleted German Version of The NeverEnding Story — Steven Spielberg
08:53 – #9: Tammy Stronach Walked Away from Hollywood — Tammy Stronach
10:14 – #8: Michael Ende Hated the Movie — Michael Ende
11:59 – #7: The Band Atreyu Got Its Name from the Movie — Brandon Saller
13:13 – #6: The Hidden Star Wars Characters in Fantasia — Craig Barron
14:35 – #5: Brian Johnson vs. Noah Hathaway — Brian Johnson
16:04 – #4: How the Southern Oracle Was Filmed — Jost Vacano
17:30 – #3: Riding Falkor Was a Nightmare — Noah Hathaway
18:42 – #2: The Most Expensive Movie Germany Had Ever Made — Wolfgang Petersen
20:10 – #1: Bastien’s Secret Name for the Childlike Empress — Michael Ende
Watch more Weird Facts videos:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRZTUGHHqdh6Rd6NpS5Nw1xx8oWUgCmZM
#theneverendingstory #neverendingstory #falkor #NoahHathaway #BarretOliver #TammyStronach #WolfgangPetersen #michaelende #80sMovies #FantasyMovies #moviefacts #behindthescenes #filmtrivia #rememberwhen #cultclassic
@ogreth9438
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
MOONCHILD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@jaytoser5212
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
At the end of the Neverending Story, the Childlike Empress must need a name. Sebastian screams out the name of the Princess. [Her name changes between countries]. In the original book, her name is “Moon Child”.
@DemocracyinCT
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
I never saw this movie until last year!!!!! Haha The song was referenced in something, which I had heard of, but didn’t know it was associated with this movie. I was graduating high school in 1984; I guess I got distracted. Haha
@orhusby
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Why on Earth would you show multiple clips of AC/DC front man Brian Johnson, when the man working on The Neverending Story clearly is NOT the same person? Bad sourcing.
@totalnonstopRob
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Brian Johnson… I almost spit my beer out.
@johnbyrne3402
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
I was 11 when it came out. I had a crush on the princess
@mono-occular-serpent
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
One part that was equally as sad
"They look like big strong hands, don't they"?
@Ineptitude_RR
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
This movie gave me nightmares. The Swamp of Sadness, Gmork and the Sphinx Gate was damn scary to me.
@ChrisTopher-wl6pd
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
The drowning horse scene
Childhood trauma
@vetarlittorf1807
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
I met Tami Stronach in Canada last year. She was so sweet. She let me talk to her for like 15 minutes.
@GoldenLegionHoney
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
He named her Starchild
@me3333
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
They look like Big, Good, Strong Hands don't they… That line tore me up as a kid
@chrismeulen8108
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
it's 14 facts actually, 1 was about the name's origin of a band.
so not a fact about this movie
@Rob-rx3jw
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Probably my #1 movie of all time. Change my mind!
@noversibirsk
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
I never knew Moon Child was hard to hear for most people
@tcthepackrat
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
I hope others will stop supporting this channel, if it keeps using AI and not checking, Brian Johnson shown is from AC/DC stop spreading AI slop please, makes you wonder how much of this stuff is even true. Like a bunch of dentists taking weeks to make a denture, baloney
@PeterSwinkels
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
It is pronounced das bOAt! sigh
@The_Tony_G
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
AI Sucks! Every time Brian Johnson is said they show a photo of ACDC Brian Johnson and not the Special Effects artist Brian Johnson. This clearly needs to be re edited and give recognition to the actual effects artist Brian Johnson. RIP
@Darkworldinc1313
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
That's the wrong Brian Johnson.
@staffy73
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
19:55 I really enjoyed and still watch from time to time Enemy Mine. Very underrated.
@jacquelinejimenez4414
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Is the puppet that was made to be 'Falkor' still kept somewhere?
@staffy73
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
16:05 Say what you will, even 10 year old me was impressed at the perkiness of the sphinx’s “cone”. I felt like Stan marsh when he discovered “attas”!😅
@jasonguinn2435
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Never Ending Story 2 looks like it followed the second half of the book. That's good. 🙂
@insulanerin7601
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
I still love the book, the movie is absolutely horrible.
@shiftingsandrose
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
💜💜‼️💜💜
@jpetersgoyanks
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
10:55 Ending at Bastian saving Fantasia was right. I would have dropped the Luck Dragon in our world bit, or made it a dream and picked up the more book accurate story in the sequel where Bastian goes to Fantasia himself and ends up trying to crown himself emperor. The actual sequel does some of this but it’s not good. Sometimes authors don’t understand adaptation, which is their right.
@AllanKelly-r5m
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
Only just clicked on vid and Moon Child is what he calls out i knew that
@mikepenn5036
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
"That, today, is the most expensive film ever produced in Germany…" Nope: Correct to say it was at the time, but even fudging up the budget for inflation to compare to the cost of movies today, it's maybe half of what it cost to make Cloud Atlas, which was also produced in Germany and filmed almost entirely near Berlin.
@TerrickTerran
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
The horse scene is still painful to this day.
@kiffermachon
August 24, 2026 at 11:31 pm
damn, 50million channel views for an AI channel…. make that money son